Zakir Naik thanks Mahathir for not deporting him

International Desk

Controversial Muslim preacher Dr Zakir Naik expressed his gratitude to the Malaysian government and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for allowing him to remain here despite calls being made by many for him to be extradited to India.

Addressing the issue of accusations that were made against him, Dr Zakir in a statement stressed that an unbiased observer would realize that in his 25 years of lecturing on Islam and peace, he has never promoted terror, be it in the name of the religion or otherwise.

This, was to counter what he said were attacks being made against him by 'some sections of the media' for his 'supposed incitement to terror'.

"Unable to find any evidence against me, they resorted to doctored video clips, out-of-context quotations and a host of dishonest schemes to accuse me of terrorism, hate speech and even money laundering," Dr Zakir said, urging those who come across such material to verify them before jumping to conclusions.

"Because the simple truth is that any statement ascribed to me that is against humanity is a fabricated statement. Time and time again, I have reiterated that a Muslim cannot be a good Muslim unless he is a good human being," Dr Zakir added.